


To See Beauty in All

by toalphacentauri



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Canon Era, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/F, Flowers, Fluff, Language of Flowers, Romantic Fluff, a winter stroll through new york city, alexander and eliza are married but they only deeply care for eachother, maria isn't in an abusive relationship with reynolds, she doesn't deserve that and i want my girls to be happy, the hamilton's and maria are neighbors, title is from what are we waiting for by katie boeck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 21:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17169695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toalphacentauri/pseuds/toalphacentauri
Summary: Maria and Eliza take a stroll through a snowy New York.





	To See Beauty in All

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this at 3 am. forgive me if it's terrible.
> 
> i'm a slut for cigar boxes

The empty streets of the city were a quaint backdrop for a stroll. A layer of packed snow covered the cobblestone roads and the sky remained a dull grey, but the two women were content. They interlaced their arms as they stepped in time, walking to nowhere in particular. The shorter woman in red spoke of a new violin prodigy from Italy and play debuting in London, as well as developments in the French Revolution and the new government of the United States, more taboo subjects for a lady to discuss. Her companion listened thoughtfully, but let the other carry the brunt of the conversation. Only their hushed tones could be heard. All was well.

They ended up walking along the riverside where the rush of water against stone became too loud to talk over. They walked in silence once more and fulfilled each other through company alone. Their places where their arms met provided little heat as they were wrapped meticulously in layers to keep out the bite of the cold, but provided comfort none-the-less. The taller woman glanced around to assure herself that no person was nearby and then pressed a chaste kiss to her friend's cheek. 

“Elizabeth!” she murmured despite the small smile on her lips and the flush climbing up her cheeks. “We are in public; people could see!” 

Eliza laughed at her lover’s concerns. “Do you see another soul walking out with us, Maria? Every sane person in New York is in front of a fireplace right now.”

Maria shook her head lightly knowing Eliza was most likely right but vocalized how incriminating it might be to show affection outside of their homes. 

Eliza laughed again in response, albeit more gently this time. “To _faire la bise_ hurt no one, dear.” Maria only shook her head further, but let it pass if only to savor Eliza’s mirthful attitude.

An easy lull settled back over their path, each resuming their own trains of thought. Eliza’s drifted towards her lover and all the ways she had woven herself into Eliza’s life. From the shoes on her feet made by Mr. Mulligan and gifted to her by Maria, to the new abundance of dark greens in her wardrobe after a passing comment of how it brought out the gold flecks of her eyes, to the hair pomatum that now lived on her vanity that only Maria used (God only knows why- her hair curled beautifully on its own), Maria had left no area of Eliza’s existence untouched. No matter where she looked, there was evidence of Maria. 

But, of course, she never regretted the woman’s influence. She completed Eliza in a way Alexander never could. She loved Alexander dearly for he was a kind man (and she was suspectful of his own devotion towards herself), however, Maria and she clicked in such a perfect manner that one would be a fool to deny it.

Her favorite reminders resided in a cigar box under her bed. The box had been something she gathered years ago when she had noticed her father preparing to dispose of it and intervened before he had the chance to. It was made of Aromatic Cedar beautifully stained to resemble a kind of dark, Kingwood from Brazil and had a gold clasp to keep it from falling open, and detailed with similar gold paint. The box boasted its elegance as loudly as Elizabeth wished to boast her intimate care for Maria, and so it became a holding place for many of her memorandum.

There were letters that had stiffened with age, adopting the cigar box’s fragrance, adding another depth to the looping calligraphy of the messages. Every letter or note that Maria had ever given her was kept safe in the box, away from prying hands and eyes. A few items of plant paraphernalia inhabited the box, beginning with a small pendant with a flattened jonquil inside, grouped with dried clovenlip flowers (the first souvenirs Maria ever gave her. She had returned the gifts with a small excerpt from The Odyssey in which Calypso and Hermes dine on sweet ambrosia and a rain lily from the Anglican church garden and an unabashed grin that sent Maria into tears of joy. That had been the start of their flower messaging system and continued to bring each other small plants whenever possible). A page with a dozen pressed purple violets sat near the box lid and caused Eliza to smile happily whenever she saw it.

There were also a small collection of charcoal drawings that Maria had let her keep of miscellaneous things she saw. Her favorite was a cat that often visited their back gardens, sitting on the ivy-covered stone wall. A decent amount of them were flowers and plants, either in vases or from outside. Two of the drawings Eliza had were of herself even though she knew Maria had a dozen more, but she deemed them too embarrassing to look at frequently and let Maria keep them to herself. 

Maria drew her out of her thoughts by tightening her grip on Eliza’s arm. “Would you like to keep walking?” Maria asked. “The path goes on a little way more, but it’s all dirt as opposed to stone.” 

Eliza was once again filled with love for the girl she had found, and she untwisted their arms to lace their fingers together and kiss her properly. Maria made a small noise of surprise, but Eliza pulled away before she could protest. 

“Hush, dear, we are well hidden by trees if anyone were to pass by, and I am almost certain that no one has left the comfort of his or her homes since we set out.” Eliza wrapped her arms around Maria’s frame and laid her face in the crook of her neck.

Maria chuckled nervously while reciprocating the hug. “And what if someone were to come up the path at this instant and see us?”

“Then you would tell them I had a rather violent sneeze and you caught me like the lady you are,” Eliza replied easily. She felt some of the tension leave Maria and continued to hug her. After a moment, Maria removed her arms from Eliza’s body and gently pushed her upwards. 

“Let us go back to my home, yes? I can make tea and we’ll have a subdued evening before Mr. Hamilton arrives back from work.” Elizabeth nodded her approval, then entwined their arms back together in the typical fashion. The two women began their walk back towards the inner city, Maria idly describing a bird she had seen outside her window a few days prior.

“I wish we could do that more often,” Eliza blurted. 

Maria paused, startled at being cut off so suddenly. “Do what, Eliza?” 

“Be affectionate in public, not just in hidden corners or our homes,” she replied, seemingly lost. 

Maria sighed. “Me too, dear.” She paused again, thinking of a way to cheer up her lover. “I have a few purple heather flowers that were still blooming, and jasmine tea at home, if you’d like any.” Maria tried to repress her grin as she waited for Eliza to interpret her meaning.

It took a few moments for Eliza to understand, and when she did, she groaned and smiled. “You are the worst.”

“You love me,” Maria replied cheekily.

Eliza squeezed her arm lightly. “I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> faire la bise - "to make the kiss", but also those cheek kisses that are greetings in france + other places
> 
> -flower meanings-  
> jonquil - return my affection  
> clovenlip - please notice my love for you  
> ambrosia - love is reciprocated  
> rain lily - i love you back  
> purple violets - love between two women  
> purple heather - beauty/admiration  
> jasmine - unconditional + eternal love
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed! maybe consider leaving a kudos or a comment? you can comment a request for a fic you'd like to see, and it doesn't have to be marliza!


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